Internet Fax Vs Computer Fax - Which One Should You Choose?

In the beginning, there was only the facsimile machines. When the PC (computer) gained wide acceptance by the masses, fax softwares were created and computer fax was born. Then came cyberspace, which brought along one of its offsprings - Internet fax For small and big businesses who are looking for greater faxing functionalities beyond what traditional fax machines could provide, which should they choose? Computer fax or internet fax?

Computer fax as its name suggests, is actually just any ordinary computer which has a fax software installed. This enables the computer to double as a virtual fax machine which can receive and send faxes - all from the hard disk. This means machine maintenance, paper jams problems, purchasing of fax papers, and misplaced fax become a thing of the past. To make it work, a phone line and a modem is needed.

In general, computer fax is sufficient for businesses which is basically localised in nature, meaning only operating within a certain town or city. It is also the best option if the firm's customers are still dependent on the legacy fax machines and have yet to embrace online technology (such as electronic email).

Internet fax on the other hand, allows users to receive and send faxes online (via the internet) as email attachments. Internet fax is ideal for businesses which have a national or international clientele. This option is great because the cost of faxing nationally or internationally can really add up whether its using computer fax or the ordinary fax machines. In contrasts, internet fax service is convenient and more economical. Of course its use also reflect a level of professionalism in the eyes of customers.

The similarities of computer fax and internet fax are that they are both easy to set up and use, and investment in a fax machine is not required. Furthermore, all faxes sent and received are stored inside the hard disk, which translates to mean savings in terms of paper and cartridges. This is possible because all faxes received can be viewed on screen first, and irrelevant ones deleted. This is not possible with the ordinary fax machines as all incoming faxes need to be printed out.

In terms of mobility, internet fax is tops because faxes can be sent or received anywhere and at anytime in the world where an internet service is available. Computer fax can also be mobile if the fax software is installed on a laptop, but the receiving of faxes can be a problem. For instance, if the user flies to Japan and he wants to fax something to a client in Australia, all he needs is a phone line. But to receive faxes can be a big problem if the businessman tends to move around a lot as his cients won't know the fax number to reach him at any moment in time. The only option available is to fax to his (businessman) official office address.

Another advantage internet fax has over computer fax is that no faxes will be missed because it will all end up in the e-mail box which can be retrieved at any time of the day. This may not be possible with computer fax To receive or send faxes, both the computer and modem need to be turned on all the time. This may not be practical for several reasons.